On Wednesday, November 8, Archpriest Wsevolod Drobot, longtime cleric of the Eastern American Diocese, reposed in the Lord. Fr. Wsevolod’s clerical service lasted 57 years, and he had been rector of Nativity of the Mother of God parish in Albany, NY. In the course of his 52-year service in Albany, Fr. Wsevolod oversaw the construction of a new church building, the great consecration of which took place in September 2010. Fr. Wsevolod buried his Matushka Nadezhda in 2015.

Panihidas will be served at Nativity of the Mother of God Church on Thursday and Friday at 6:30 PM.

Fr. Wsevolod's funeral will be served in Holy Trinity Monastery at 9:00 AM on Saturday, November 11. Burial to follow at the monastery cemetery.

Memory eternal to the newly reposed Archpriest Wsevolod!

A brief biography of Fr. Wsevolod from a parishioner:

Archpriest Wsevolod Drobot came to the Albany, NY parish only by God’s mercy. After the end of World War II, Batushka and his parents settled in Argentina. There they attended church at the cathedral in Buenos Aires, where he served in the altar with Archbishop Joasaph (Skorodumov; +1955) of blessed memory. His Eminence advised and blessed the young Wsevolod to attend seminary and be ordained a priest. So, on the stormiest day of the year, December 23, 1958, Wsevolod and Nadezhda Drobot arrived from Argentina to begin his studies at Holy Trinity Seminary in Jordanville, NY. After completing the required years at seminary, he was to return to help the clergy in Argentina. By the summer of 1960, Father Wsevolod was ordained a deacon and was blessed with a growing family. On August 27, 1961, Father Wsevolod was ordained a priest and was assigned to serve in the Protection of the Mother of God Parish in Schenectady, NY, while he completed his last year of seminary. In June 1962, he graduated and was assigned to serve in Queens, NY. But to Fr. Wsevolod’s relief, Metropolitan Anastassy (Gribanovsky; +1965) reconsidered and gave his blessing for Fr. Wsevolod to serve in the growing parish of Albany, NY.

On our parish feast day, the Nativity of the Mother of God, September 21, 1962, Archbishop Averky (Taushev; +1976) happily introduced our new rector, Father Wsevolod Drobot. The rest, as they say, is history. At that time, our Church was located in North Albany on Pearl Street. Father Wsevolod and Matushka Nadezhda ran the Church School and Russian classes on Saturdays. The children would attend classes and then the Vigil service on Saturday night. Following the sale of the Albany church, the parish of the Nativity of the Mother of God joined with the parish of the Protection of the Mother of God in Schenectady. The parish then purchased property in Colonie, NY, and in 1988 the land was blessed by Archbishop Laurus (Skurla; +2008) and construction of the church hall began. In 2010, we held the Great Consecration of our new church in honor of the Nativity of the Mother of God. All of this is due to the hard work and dedication of our loving rector and pastor, Father Wsevolod. One of Father Wsevolod’s favorite sayings was, "I have baptized more than I have buried". He will be greatly missed by all of the parishioners of the Nativity of the Mother of God Parish, where he was our spiritual father, our guide, our mentor, our friend. We love you, Batushka!

Matushka Nadezhda predeceased Father Wsevolod in 2015. They are survived by their children: Protodeacon Nicholas Drobot (cleric of Holy New Martyrs of Russia Church in Norwich, CT), Maria Drobot, Olga Drobot, Xenia Drobot, Ivan Drobot, Sergei Drobot, and Sophia Drobot. They had many grandchildren.